Making Images

I tend to hang out with a lot of technology geeks. It's the nature of my job. Like many throughout the world, there are a good deal of people concerned about the state of the economy and how it's going to affect them long-term.

How it relates to photography depends on where you are coming from and where you sit. People I know in the industry are looking to find alternate means of earning income from their chosen profession. The smart ones will. The smart and talented ones will succeed in the coming years because the amount of crap out there is bound to cause the pendulum to swing back towards sanity. And they seem to get it and are actively pursuing their passion. I still fundamentally believe that is a ticket to success.

The enthusiast, hobbyists and consumer are trying to figure out how they can get the next whiz-bang, multi-function, do-it-all camera that just came out. In 6 months they will be asking the same questions. All of this was prompted by a phone call today with a friend wondering if I would be getting a Leica M9. In one word: No.

My friend has a Leica M8, a Nikon D3 and some other stuff that I can't keep up with. He's a little miffed that the M9 is so expensive and he can't get one. Spending about ten grand over the last three years, on those two cameras alone, will do that to a fella. You'll never keep up unless you are independently wealthy. I don't personally know anyone that is.

Now I've spent my share of cash over the years on cameras I just had to have, but that's largely stopped and what I have today will provide me with what I am capable of doing for the span of my lifetime. I don't shoot digitally and don't miss it. I think my photography is better since I sold the rig and simplified on my gear. Considering the state of the economy, keeping photography affordable is paramount to a significant amount of time spent in practicing, improving and perfecting my craft.  

But for my friend not being able to get the camera he lusts after provides a much needed bitch session in difficult times. At the end of the call, and being the pragmatic person he is, he decided to sell everything and find a way to get the M9. More power to him. I just won't take the call when the M@* comes out at some point in time. Sorry Pal. And if you happen to read this, notice I protected your identity and I'm only half kidding.

And what's the point of this rambling shambles of a post? I don't know. It's mostly to point out that photography helps keep me sane in an otherwise insane world.  For most of the people I know that love photography, this holds true. And it seems to me that chasing the next big camera will make you insane all that much quicker. This economy will change the way people purchase. It already has if the numbers from the camera manufacturers are studied a bit.  

If you've spent $10,000 over a period of two years it's time to think about improving your photography. Take a workshop. Invest in an online course. Seek out a person who's work you admire and ask for their opinion on your work. Publish a book over at Blurb or any number of other places that are available today. What about printing some work and trying to get it shown?  The point is to photograph, improve and see what you can say in your images.  It's not to chase the next technological marvel coming down the pike. Spending another seven grand on a camera won't do anything for you other than temporarily satisfy your need for the next whiz bang, multi-function, do-it-all camera. 

Trust me on this!